Alumni Spotlight: Jonathan Moreno

Jonathan Moreno overcomes many adversities to earn his bachelor's degree.

By Donna King
|
August 2010

Jonathan Moreno , Alumnus

Just four years ago, Jonathan Moreno was looking forward to a long career in the U.S. Army; then he was injured in combat. Facing the end of his military service after 11 years—served entirely overseas, including a tour of duty in Iraq—Jonathan needed to prepare himself for the return to civilian life.

“At first my future seemed bleak,” Jonathan recalls. “Yet, somehow I knew that attaining an education could ease my transition out of the military.” He embarked on the path to education at UMUC, and in 2009, he received a BS in Information Systems Management and a certificate in Project Management for IT professionals.

Jonathan’s road to graduation wasn’t easy, but “I kept my goal in mind at all times,” he says.

While recovering from his combat injuries, he took three to four, and one semester even five, classes at a time. Often, he paid out-of-pocket for classes when his tuition assistance ran out for the year.

During the last two years of his undergraduate program, Jonathan was reassigned to the Army’s Warrior Transition Unit, specifically designed to assist those soldiers with the most critical medical needs. He underwent four surgeries along with numerous other medical treatments and struggled to complete class assignments on time.

Jonathan credits his professors with helping him to stay focused and on track. “I was able to confide in my instructors whenever I was having serious medical issues,” he says. “They assisted me in coming up with a plan that would ultimately allow me to complete all of my work and take my final exams on schedule.”

Now enrolled in UMUC’s graduate program, Jonathan hopes to one day teach at the university. “I want to be a part of the same staff that helped me in achieving my educational dreams,” he says. “I battled through all the adversities, but in the end I am proud to say that I am a UMUC graduate.”